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Heart and Soul

Well, I started my to-do list for today and it’s official, I have a lot on my plate. I’m pretty sure most caregivers have a similar list. It can be a lot as it’s not easy taking care of more than one person. There’s so much to do and consider when you are caring for another and making decisions for them. It is often overwhelming. While our bodies can get tired from the daily caregiving tasks, our souls get weary too.

Our soul gets tired from the constant pressure. Emotions run high when caring for another person. We can get tired inside and out. Sometimes, we don’t even realize it because we can slip into autopilot so easily. That dulling is a preservation strategy for many caregivers. But we are still on overload, even if we have numbed out. (Maybe it’s just me!)

I started thinking about all of this during my private devotions this morning. I came across these verses in Psalm 62 and they stirred up my heart and mind.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength and my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

And in Psalm 42:4, David said he pours out his soul before the Lord. When we are in overload mode or feeling overwhelmed with the emotional side of caregiving, we have a place to empty our souls. I learned a long time ago that God can handle my mess. My crazy emotional swings don’t even scare Him away. I can pour out my heart and soul before Him and He is big enough to carry it. He shields me when I trust in Him. It’s when I decide to go it alone that I get myself in a mess.

Today, I will remind my soul that God is my refuge, my rock, my salvation. I will wait silently (that’s the hard part, right?) for Him today as I turn my thoughts to how He cares for all parts of me from whether encouraged or discouraged, weary or energized, happy or saddened, He is big enough to carry all of me. I’m going to empty my heart and soul before Him today and then – I will trust Him with my soul. Will you join me?

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